Hamlet: Prince of Denmark (Graphic Classics

by Kathy McEvoy (Retold by), Penko Gelev (Illustrator), William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's immortal drama is retold here in a graphic novel format. The prince of Denmark seeks to avenge his father's death by exposing the king as his murderer. Barron's popular and growing series of " Graphic Classics " titles introduce many of the world's literary masterpieces to young readers. Elementary and secondary school teachers will value these books as a way to make great novels and plays accessible to their students--especially to those students who resist reading. Presented in graphic novel format, each title tells an absorbing, fast-paced story dramatized with high-quality color illustrations. After delving into any of these stimulating titles, many boys and girls will feel encouraged to discover the joy of reading the masterworks in their original form. Each " Graphic Classics " title includes a thumbnail biography of the author, a list of his or her important works, a timeline of historic events that helped inspire the story, general notes, and an index. " Graphic Classics " titles are available in both paperback and hardcover editions.

Genres: Fiction, Graphic Novels, Classics, Shakespeare, Read For School, Plays

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

Reviews

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of Bokklubben World Library’s Top 100 Best Books of All Time, it is also ranked 68th on The Greatest Books of All Time site, it is evidently a chef d’oeuvre, though it can have some adaptations that are not so overwhelming, like the one I have seen (in part, it was not my cup of tea) yesterday – you have thousands of reviews on magnum opera from the aforementioned and other web pages on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... and YouTube channel


8 out of 10 as seen on April 28 2026

Hamlet is nec plus ultra, the crème de la crème https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... notwithstanding that, the version that I have seen – at least for the fifteen minutes or so while I could stand it – was a major disappointment, largely due to Ian McKellen, I do not like him

Which means this is biased, since it is not just Hamlet, but also in other parts he is not a preferred thespian, indeed, I think I could only go along with him in The Lord of The Rings, and that is a film that is not even in my top 5,000, I liked it in the early two thousands, but because it was spectacular on some levels.
I am getting fussy, Hamnet, one of the most admired motion pictures of the last year, winner of The Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Jesse Buckley – here is proof that this is so subjective and ultimately irrelevant, I do not like this other actor – was yet another feature where I wondered what is so wonderful here?

In Hamnet https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... we have the wife taking the center stage, and I understand it is not credible: William Shakespeare has left a will in which the spouse is left with almost nothing, so where is all that passion that we see in the motion picture
It is very likely that the above is wrong, both the story of the will, which I have probably misremembered, and the rest – however, this is a personal note, we are on my blog, or Goodreads, and these are places where you do not get expert reviews, well, maybe there are a few critics that put on that site some material

The story of Hamlet is so well known- the father is killed by his brother, so that he can get the power, he marries the widow – here I am reminded of Richard III https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... where Richard marries the widow of the man he had killed
Ian McKellen might have worked – if not for me – in the role of the usurper, the father, but they have him as Hamlet at the age of…whatever his advanced age would be, and yes, I am 62, this would be called ageism, or some such thing, but he is too old for the role of a quite young man, let us push it to middle age, but still…

Jack Lemmon https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... talked about this in a documentary called American Cinema, you could not take on King Lear when you are a teenager, or words to that effect, anyway, this is not the style I like, he seems artificial to me, and I could be, or I am surely wrong

[Aida · Rating 5 out of 5]

وای خیلی خوب بودددد. من همیشه فکر میکرد هملت یک داستان عاشقانه باشه🥲(خب نمیدونستم داستانش چیه!) ولی اصلا عاشقانه نیست،مرگ،خیانت،اشباح،دیوانگی، خودکشی و....... ولی اصلا عاشقانه ای وجود نداره. خیلی قشنگ بود و خیلی دوستش داشتم.

این کتاب به صورت کمیک کشیده شده و اصلا باعث اذییت شدن نیست و پایین هر تصویر یکسری نوشته وجود داره که اگه اشتباه نکنم متن های یک راوی برای نمایش نامه هست.

این کتاب ترجمه شده به اسم هملت شاهزاده دانمارک از انتشارات سایه گستر. ترجمه ادبی شکل خوبی داره ولی ممکنه برای کسایی که با متن های نمایشنامه ای خوششون نیاد، یکم اینجور متن ها براشون اذییت کننده باشه.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was basically a No Fear Shakespeare with pictures. In other words, it had lines in Old English and a translation below. And Hamlet’s haircut was probably the worst I’ve ever seen.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always liked Hamlet, because I like Shakespeare. This was a good full cast dramatization.

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read thanks to the movie Hamnet. Shakespeare will always be satisfying because of the new artists that put their own palimpsest on his works. And if you're interested in marveling at the layers, like the strata in the side of a cliff, read an Arden edition of a Shakespeare play.

It was surprising to remember that my favorite line from Hamlet wasn't in the version I just read (Quarto 2). That's in the Folio copy. Don't know what that is? Go read the Arden!

Not sure if the novel Hamnet is going to be picked up any time soon. My noble heart might crack from the damage already done by the film.

[lamija🪷📖 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely a tragedy, but I would say that in comparison to his more light work this was really hard to understand. Not just understand, but also understand where the characters are coming from because Hamlet was so complex and everyone else wasn’t that at some point I forgot what his mission was. My favorite characters were definitely Leartes and Horatio.

[Mitte Braes · Rating 4 out of 5]

king of overthinking right here

[notmymango · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was interesting reading Shakespeare in a comic book format. I remember reading sonnets in high school for pleasure. I’m truly blessed that I enjoy almost every story/play/book that I choose to read.

Also, what if every family would solve its problems like this? With so much “passion”. None of us would be alive.

[isa diosa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

i actually liked reading this! shakespeare is usually difficult for me but reading it in class helped a ton with my poor attention span. hamlet was goofy but in a good way

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read 📚 out loud has a family read.

[Xavier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girl, whatever

[Pat of Rocks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alas, poor Yorick - I think we missed thee in this adaptation.

Quick and easy read, but only if you're already familiar with the source material. Illustrations do help distinguish each character, and this play has a pretty wide ensemble. It's a fun but underwhelmingly incomplete experience.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have re-read this book for the millionth time! I still love it and think it is an amazing play! I love Hamlet and his indecision, and the portrayal of madness in the text. This is a very clever play with memorable themes and quotes!

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

The original Days Of Our Lives

[Becca Hay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having never read a graphic novel in my life, I was a bit hesitant to start with a story as dear to my heart as "Hamlet." However, I was intrigued by the idea of this beautiful Shakespearean play, which in its original form was visually graphic (originally presented as a play), being converted into a comic book form of sorts, yet still hesitant to read it. Well to put it bluntly, I loved every minute of it. This novel tells the classic story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, and his search for revenge for the death of his father, killed by his his uncle, Claudius, who married Gertrud, the late king's wife, and through that union stole Hamlet's crown and became king. The twist of the story appears when Hamlet receives his information regarding the death of his father from his late father's ghost whom only he, Hamlet, can see. What do you do when the only real evidence is real only in your head? This novel, part of the Graphic Classics series, utilizes an abridged version of the original Shakespearean text and at the bottom of every three to four "scenes" provides a one sentence synopsis of what just occurred. The presentation of "Hamlet" through this means makes the text come alive and would spark any older adolescent audience's interest, maybe spurring them to read the original text in full. I, who have read and written on "Hamlet" many times, learned new understanding and meaning to the wording through reading this condensed version of the play. Instead of becoming bogged down with the wording, (as sometimes happens when reading the original text) I was able to focus on main lines and speeches, annotating those lines and gaining new insights. This story was well written, and nicely illustrated. It is a great bridge point between general knowledge of "Hamlet" and an actual reading of Shakespeare's original play.

[Michael P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adaptation is a tricky thing. Adaptors fail if they do not use the tricks which change for each book into each new medium. The Fago family and the Redondo Studios did not use the tricks when moving this book from Shakespeare's script into this highly abridged educational graphic novel. It does summarize the story, but misses the flavor of the original.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

CONFESSO QUE achava que a escrita dele superestimada. Já tinha tentado ler não só Hamlet, mas outra peça dele também, mas não consegui, principalmente porque não estava conseguindo entender praticamente nada, então na minha cabeça foi "ah, se eu não estou entendendo, ninguém mais entende as peças de verdade, eles só dizem que leram e gostaram porque você parece culto se gosta de Shakespeare".
Mas retiro totalmente o que eu disse kkkkk acho que é mais uma questão de achar o tipo de peça dele que você gosta. Você é fã assíduo de romance? Talvez seja legal começar com Romeu e Julieta. Gosta mais de drama? começa por esse, você vai se apaixonar pelo personagem do Hamlet kkkkkk

O Shakespeare traz umas reflexões muito profundas sobre alguns temas, como a indecisão sobre duas coisas extremamente difíceis e como isso é pesaroso; o quão longe as pessoas estão dispostas a ir não só por vingança, mas também por seus próprios ideais (e também há o questionamento de moralidade nisso, né); até mesmo o "plot secundário de romance" com a Ofélia mostrando como a perda de um grande amor pode ser absolutamente dilacerante, ou com o próprio pai do Hamlet, que apesar de eu não achar que o solilóquio de "Ser ou Não ser, Eis a questão" tenha sido sobre suicídio, e sim pela dúvida se ele conseguiria fazer de fato o que ele queria ou não, eu também vejo como uma manifestação do extremo luto que ele sente pela perda do pai, e com a mãe agora casada com outro, ele não tem mais nada; até mesmo dá para explorar coisas mais psicológicas como "no que se caracteriza a loucura?", ou "Hamlet estava meesmo louco como todo mundo dizia ou ele se fazia de louco para atingir seu objetivo", e se ele fingia, por que achavam que ele era doido? Era porque ele não seguia o que a sociedade vê como aceitável? E entre outras coisas.

Como uma primeira leitura e ainda me acostumando com clássicos, peças e principalmente as obras dele, imagino que minhas observações ainda foram bem superficiais, mas quero muito reler em breve e ver se eu consigo achar mais coisas no texto!!

[Gustavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dei nota 4 para Hamlet e confesso: foi uma grande surpresa pra mim. Eu realmente não esperava me divertir tanto com os diálogos, eles são afiados, irônicos e, ao mesmo tempo, profundamente provocadores. É aquele tipo de obra que te envolve pela conversa e, quando você percebe, já está refletindo sobre vida, morte, culpa e existência.

Hamlet me pegou justamente por isso consegue ser teatro puro, quase divertido em alguns momentos, mas nunca raso. A cada fala, vinha uma pausa interna pra pensar, reinterpretar e até questionar a mim mesmo. Não foi uma leitura pesada como eu imaginava, foi instigante, viva e cheia de camadas.

Saí da leitura surpreso, satisfeito e com aquela sensação boa de quando um clássico realmente funciona — não só pela importância histórica, mas porque ainda conversa com a gente.

[Caomhghain · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the umpteenth time of reading I am left with the feeling that I should spend a great deal more time studying it so that I am as familiar with it as I am with Lear, Macbeth, Much Ado, the Tempest etc.
So I've put it on my Deep Study list to currently join Milton.

[Vikas V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greed, revenge and madness is the main theme of Hamlet, with memorable character building and story line with the touch of suspense. One of the best from William Shakespeare's tragedies.

[Jazmín Jiménez · Rating 3 out of 5]

No puedo creer dos cosas: que no lo haya leído antes; lo disfruté un montón y lo devoré, también.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Hamlet.

Not only that, it's the Arden edition, which means I got to nerd out on figuring out Q1, Q2, and F.

[Paul Frandano · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Play and the Great Arden Shakespeare Edition. The Bard's timeless words. 'Nuff said, right? Read it over and over, again and again.

[Augusto]

finais comicos

[leah kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everybody falls into madness and dies at the end. Moral of the story, don’t kill your brother and don’t listen to ghosts

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

likeeee what can i even say. get thee to a nunnery

[Eitan Jael · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be or not to be...

[Alphekka · Rating 5 out of 5]

That so much of a language and a culture can be traced back to one work by one person is almost incredible.

[Lavínia Oliveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meu primeiro contato com a escrita de Shakespeare foi muito especial, senti que me adaptei ao seu estilo com naturalidade, e acredito que Hamlet seja uma excelente escolha para quem deseja começar a ler o autor. A história me prendeu, principalmente pelos personagens, tão cativantes. No mais, é uma bela tragédia, daquelas que nos prendem do início ao fim.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good simplified version of the story of Hamlet.  It makes it easily accessible.